Sports Wiki
Evergreen explainers on the rules, tactics, records and numbers behind football and basketball — built to be read long after the final whistle.
- Rankings4 Sept 2026
Offensive and defensive rating explained
Offensive and defensive rating in one sentence, why measuring per possession matters, how net rating ties to winning, and how to read these numbers for teams and players.
- Rankings4 Sept 2026
What is xPts (expected points)? A fairer league table
Expected points in one sentence, how a match's chances turn into win, draw and loss probabilities, why an xPts table reveals over- and under-performers, and how to read it wisely.
- Rankings4 Sept 2026
xGA and xGD explained: measuring a team's real quality
Expected goals against and expected goal difference in plain terms, how they measure defence and overall control, why they predict future results better than the league table, and how to use them.
- Rankings4 Sept 2026
What is xA (expected assists)? Measuring chance creation
Expected assists in one sentence, how a pass earns a value from the shot it sets up, why xA judges a playmaker more fairly than the assist column, and how to read it without over-trusting one game.
- Rankings31 Aug 2026
What is form in football? Reading the WDL run — and its limits
What the form guide shows, how the WWDLW string is read, why recent results can mislead, the difference between form and underlying performance, and how to use it well.
- Rankings31 Aug 2026
What is a double-double? The stat, and how it differs from a triple-double
The definition of a double-double, the five categories that qualify, the most common combinations, how it scales up to triple and quadruple-doubles, and what it really tells you.
- Rankings31 Aug 2026
Usage rate, explained: how much of the offence a player carries
What usage rate estimates, what counts toward it, typical ranges from stars to role players, why it must be read with efficiency, and what it reveals about a team.
- Rankings31 Aug 2026
Shots on target and conversion rate, explained
What counts as a shot on target, why it beats total shots, what conversion rate measures, why it swings wildly over small samples, and how these fit with expected goals.
- Rankings31 Aug 2026
Rebound rate, explained: why totals mislead and percentages don't
Why raw rebound totals mislead, what rebound rate measures, the split between offensive and defensive boards, typical ranges, and why it matters for winning possessions.
- Rankings31 Aug 2026
Home advantage, explained: why home teams win more often
How big home advantage really is, the reasons behind it, what happened when crowds disappeared, why it varies by league, and how models build it into predictions.
- Rankings31 Aug 2026
Elo and power ratings, explained: how models measure team strength
What an Elo rating is, how points move after every match, why it beats league position for measuring strength, how margin and home advantage fit in, and where it is used.
- Rankings31 Aug 2026
Effective field goal % (eFG%), explained — and how it differs from TS%
How eFG% fixes plain shooting percentage by valuing the three, the one difference from true shooting, how to read the number, and why it drives the modern three-point game.
- Rankings31 Aug 2026
What is xG (expected goals)? The stat behind modern match analysis
Expected goals in one sentence, how a chance gets a value between 0 and 1, why xG beats the shot count, and how to read it sensibly without over-trusting a single match.
- Rankings31 Aug 2026
True shooting percentage (TS%), explained: the real scoring-efficiency stat
Why plain field-goal percentage misleads, how true shooting folds in threes and free throws, how to read the numbers, and what counts as good in the modern NBA.
- Rankings31 Aug 2026
Possession %, explained: what it measures and when it lies
How possession is calculated, why the number can mislead, the difference between having the ball and doing something with it, and how to read it alongside better stats.
- Rankings31 Aug 2026
Plus-minus and net rating, explained: measuring impact beyond the box score
What plus-minus really tracks, why raw plus-minus is noisy, how net rating puts it on a per-100 scale, the leap to on/off and adjusted versions, and how to read them.
- Rankings31 Aug 2026
Pace and possessions, explained: why per-100 stats matter
What a possession is, how pace counts them, why fast and slow teams need per-100 numbers to compare fairly, and how pace shapes totals and matchups.
- Rankings31 Aug 2026
How to read win probability: what a 60% chance really means
What a win-probability percentage is, why 60% is not a guarantee, how it differs from odds, why the three numbers add to 100%, and how to judge whether a model is any good.
- Rankings31 Aug 2026
Goal difference, explained: the tiebreaker that decides titles
What goal difference is, how it is calculated, why leagues use it to separate level teams, how it differs from goals scored, and the famous title races it has settled.
- Rankings31 Aug 2026
What is a clean sheet? The defensive stat, explained
What counts as a clean sheet, where the phrase comes from, why it is shared beyond the goalkeeper, how it links to winning, and its limits as a measure of defending.